Ever successfully trained a player in a new position?

A feature I pretty much never use is retraining a player for a new position. Admittedly I don't know the exact specifics such as how long it'll take etc, so I just assume it'll be more hassle than it's worth and search for a new player instead should I be in need of more position cover.

Just wondering if any of you have ever successfully had a player learn a new position? By successful I mean they became one of your top performers in that position, etc. I've only ever seen a screenshot of Wayne Rooney as an AMC/ST but this seems a pretty logical position for him anyway. I'm guessing if you want to be really different you COULD retrain Patrice Evra for example to be a striker but I'm guessing his defensive stats will suffer in order to increase his attacking ones?

On a related note, just how long does it take for a successful retraining? Is it down to the player? Do they go through the different levels such as awkward, competent, accomplished, etc?

Also, for someone who has done the unthinkable like my Evra example.. any screenshots?

Yes, I use it frequently.

Some can take a few months, some can take a few seasons depending on the player's age, their versatility, how often they play in the position you're retraining them in and how close the position is to the ones they already play.

Yes, they go through awkward to natural (if they play there enough, and you have to keep them training it).

I've turned a DC into an ST and several DL/DRs into AML/AMRs and vice versa.

It's a shame that players can become un-natural once they become natural in the position they trained.

Yes. Plenty.

dont have anyone currently that is worth sharing. my favorite is to take dm and train to cm. get a fast ball playing cm that fits my style of play.

of course I use it. In 60% of my players. Just in order for them to be able to play a little better in other positions too. It takes time but it is worth it. You should also PLAY them in the new position

I've found that if a player is adaptable and you actually play them in their new position they will go from awkward to accomplished in a few games.

At smaller clubs it's especially useful for plugging gaps in your squad cheaply.

Yeah i use it all the time, i re-trained Ravel Morrison to be a natural right winger in this version, and did plenty more times in FM11, you just have to make sure that A, the player has stats that will let him play the new position well and B, you play him constantly in the new position when he is training.

My tactic uses advanced wingers, and I prefer them to be inverted-footed playmaker wingers that are also good finishers. My strikers are both deep-lying and also need to be creative. The type of player that best suits all four positions up front is the AMC. So I often retrain AMC's to wingers or strikers depending on what I need and how suitable they are to be either one.

My wingers always swap positions so every winger at my club must be able to play on both flanks.

I also train my strikers to play on one wing for cover.

Will they still lose all their new ability to play in that position once you stop training it?

I rarely use this feature anymore, did it a few times when it was new, because every time I do it they will simply lose everything they've learnt very quickly. It's not worth it to have a player use up 10%/20% (don't remember exactly how much) of their training time for all eternity, especially if it’s a young player.

If they stop playing there as well, yes.

I don't agree with it, but it's currently how it works

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This player started out as a M R only. He had good technique also as a 18-yo, but his pace was 11 and acc 12. They stayed like that until he got Natural as AM R, then in just two seasons (20-22) they became 16/16. I guess this is because wingers have quickness higher rated than wide midfielders. He was on special focus Quickness the entire four years.

They dont always, it depends on their hidden stats, some players will retain the position indefinitely, some will lose it quite quickly, depends on the player.

They dont always, it depends on their hidden stats, some players will retain the position indefinitely, some will lose it quite quickly, depends on the player.

No, it doesn't - every player will lose the position if they stop playing and training in that position.

maybe if he never plays the position again, but i had a regen in FM11 a defensive centre mid who i retrained as a right back, after he was natural in that position i stopped training him there and he didnt always play right back, he never lost the positioning training.

No, it doesn't - every player will lose the position if they stop playing and training in that position.

Thats dumb. If a player stayed on the bench his whole career and never played he's not going to forget what position he is and how to play there so why should it be any different for a poisition that he has re-trained in.

I had an absolutely brilliant right midfielder in 2011, I mean he was Messi standard.

Unfortunately though I had been using a formation that didn't use the right midfielder slot so I had to retrain him in the AMR position.

After my pre-season friendlies he was competent (from ineffective), by Christmas he was accomplished and by the end of the season he was natural and his right midfielder position stayed at natural for a few seasons after that too.

Most of my players are retraining a position in my FM2012 save, it's so much easier than having to buy players if you have a tight budget. I'll always retrain my DMCs in the CM position just in case and also train a CM with defensive stats in the DMC position. Another favourite is training two footed fullbacks in either the DL or DR position (opposite to whatever is their natural) and as someone else has already mentioned, retraining strikers as inside forwards using their opposite foot so they can cut inside.

I couldn't play the game without retraining, it's been absolutely vital to my success.

My DCs tend to get trained as DMs, my fullbacks get trained for both sides, my wingers get trained for both sides, my strikers get trained as wingers.

MCs that suck at dribbling get turned into DMs as well. The other MCs I leave alone.

i use this feature alot as i generally start unemployed and get a job at a lower league side, i use it to retrain a player to use for cover such as a left back and train him to play as a right back aswell just as cover really

I train many of my fullbacks to cover to the other flank, also some of them as wide midfileders if they have good numbers for it. Also like to train AMC's for either flank.

i use this feature alot as i generally start unemployed and get a job at a lower league side, i use it to retrain a player to use for cover such as a left back and train him to play as a right back aswell just as cover really

It's a shame that players can become un-natural once they become natural in the position they trained.

Yea that sucks

All fullbacks retrained to other fullback, all wingers to other wing, all cms to dm and all forwards to amr/aml, it's what makes a squad a squad and makes the bench much more versatile

I've never really tried it, i'll go home later and have a go.

in future versions i would like to see the retraining changed so that if a player becomes natural he should only decrease to accomplished if he stops playing there.

Yes, several times a player became a natural on the position I trained him for.

Thats dumb. If a player stayed on the bench his whole career and never played he's not going to forget what position he is and how to play there so why should it be any different for a poisition that he has re-trained in.

It's the way the game works. On FM10, I had a striker/AM I retrained to play on the right wing(got me 30 goals a season as an inside forward), he played in that position for the last 5 years I was at the club every game, must have played 250 matches there, more than he ever played up front. I left...2 seasons later he'd lost all ability there.....what a joke.

It's the way the game works. On FM10, I had a striker/AM I retrained to play on the right wing(got me 30 goals a season as an inside forward), he played in that position for the last 5 years I was at the club every game, must have played 250 matches there, more than he ever played up front. I left...2 seasons later he'd lost all ability there.....what a joke.

Agreed. Versatility should only affect how long it takes for him to become Natural. When he is Natural he is Natural and it should never go away.

Edit: the player I posted a pic of above used 2 seasons to become Natural (from 0 affinity). I took him off position training after being Natural for half a year after that. He was Accomplished the next day. I then went into FMRTE to see if I could fix this because I found it unrealistic and silly. Even when setting him back to Natural there, he was Accomplished (18) the day after. I changed his Versatility and Adaptability to 20 and tried again, still reset after one day.

I gave up and let him train position indefinitely.

I stick to close positions, like DC to DR or DL, or MC to DMC/AMC or the other way. Works fine for me and I like having versatile players for injury/tiredness coverage.

On FM10 I had a player who dropped from Natural to Accomplished AMC towards the end of a 3 week injury! I would like players to retain any retrained position, or at worst, drop down only one tier.

Aston Villa's Fabian Delph (CM) to a AMR inside forward.

He got the speed, left footed, good crossing and finishing skills.

But i only retrained him therre at the end of the second season.

10 games into the third, his avg rating was around 7.58

Daniel Sturridge became natural from accomplished at LW. Made team selection easier.